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Piaggio MP3 Hybrid Scooter Saves Gas and Plays Music

by Donald Melanson, posted Nov 12th 2008 at 2:23PM


The NYPD may have ditched a few of their Piaggio scooters in favor of some all-electric Vectrix models a little while back, but it looks like the Italian company may be about to get back in their favor, as it has just unveilved its new MP3 Hybrid plug-in scooter that promises to get an impressive 141MPG. Apparently, the three-wheeled scooter can operate in either a full-electric mode, or one of three hybrid modes, which brings the 125 cc gasoline engine into the picture to let you do zero to sixty about five seconds. As with some other PHEVs, the scooter also makes use of regenerative breaking to help recharge the batteries, which can apparently be fully topped off in as little as three hours when plugged in at home. No word on a price just yet, but Piaggo says it "could" be on the market as soon as next year.

AT&T CEO Says iPhone 'Tethering' Option Coming Soon

by Donald Melanson, posted Nov 7th 2008 at 1:11PMBreaking News

There's not exactly a lot of details to go on here (or any, really), but AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega yesterday confirmed during an interview at the Web 2.0 Summit that an AT&T-approved iPhone tethering option, which will allow you to connect the Apple handset to your computer and use it as a 3G modem, will indeed be available "soon." That lack of detail includes any word on pricing or, of course, an actual release date, though MacRumors is reporting separately that it's hearing the tethering capability will be built into the 2.2 firmware, which seems like at least a reasonable guess.

[Via MacRumors]

Spaceship 'Force Field' Could Protect Astronauts on Trip to Mars

by Donald Melanson, posted Nov 5th 2008 at 11:01AM


While there's certainly no shortage of folks working on sending robots to Mars, there's also thankfully a few researchers focusing on making the trip a bit more bearable (and survivable) for us humans, and a group from a consortium of different institutions now say they've made some real progress on that front. Their idea is to use a portable "mini-magnetosphere," which would protect a spacecraft from harmful solar storms and cosmic rays in much the same way the Earth's magnetosphere naturally protects the planet.

That is actually an idea that has been around for decades, and was shown last year to be at least theoretically possible, but it has only now been taken beyond the realm of computer simulations. That was apparently possible thanks to the use of an unspecified "apparatus originally built to work on fusion," which allowed researchers to recreate "a tiny piece of the Solar Wind" and confirm that a small "hole" in the wind would indeed be all that would d be necessary to keep astronauts safe.

Of course, the leap from the lab to an actual spacecraft is another matter entirely, but the researchers seem to think that there's quite a bit of promise in the idea.

[Via PhysOrg, image courtesy of NASA]

Pure*Gold PC Is Just What You Think It Is

by Donald Melanson, posted Oct 31st 2008 at 8:02AM


It's been a little while since we've seen a full-size gold-plated PC, but it looks like the advent of small form factor PCs is keeping this little bit of excess alive even in these economic hard times, and the folks at Plush Department have even managed to find it in themselves to provide a matching amplifier for its new Pure*Gold PC.

From the looks of it, they've also managed to cram some reasonably high-end specs into the PC, including an unspecified Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT graphics with 512MB of RAM, and a generous eight USB ports and two FireWire ports.

No word on a price, naturally, but, whatever exorbitant amount it is, you can just tell yourself that it's not just a PC, it's an investment. [Via musicradar.com]

Jean-Michel Jarre Designed iPod Speakers Hit France

by Donald Melanson, posted Oct 24th 2008 at 8:37AM


There's certainly no shortage of eye-catching iPod docks / speaker systems to choose from, but this new so-called AeroSystem is the only one to get Jean-Michel Jarre's stamp of approval, and that's enough to get at least a few folks to take notice (though we'll personally stick with our Joy Division Zune). In addition to being a conversation starter, the speaker unit also look to be capable enough audio-wise, with it packing two 20W RMS speakers and a 45W RMS subwoofer into its retro-inspired enclosure, plus a USB port and a 3.5mm jack to complement the requisite iPod dock connector. As far as these things go, it's also not too ridiculously expensive, with it running €450 (or close to $580), though you'll likely spend a bit more than that if you hope to get one of these out of France.

[Via Gadget Lab]

Husqvarna's Solar-Powered Automower Coming to the US

by Donald Melanson, posted Oct 24th 2008 at 7:11AM

=
Husqvarna's plain old battery-powered Automowers have been available in the US for some time now, but it looks like the company's solar-powered hybrid model is now finally making the trip across the pond as well. From the looks of it, the model is the same one we caught sight of back in March, with the 22-pound mower promising to handle lawns up to half an acre in size and not emit a single emission whilst it does its business.

As with the regular models, it'll also return to its base to speed up the charging process when it gets low on juice. Unfortunately, there's no word on a price or release date just yet, though we wouldn't expect it to sell for too much less (if any) than the £2,000 (or just over $3,000) it sold for in the UK. Husqvarna will apparently have more to say about that at the Green Industry and Equipment Expo that's now getting underway in Louisville, Kentucky.

[Via The Raw Feed]

Circuit City Considering Shutting 150 Stores to Avoid Bankruptcy

by Donald Melanson, posted Oct 21st 2008 at 10:29AMBreaking News

It's made it through some tough times in the past (the other DIVX, anyone?), but it looks like Circuit City is now really up against the wall, and it's apparently considering some rather drastic measures to avoid becoming the largest retailer to enter bankruptcy protection in recent years.

According to The Wall Street Journal, "people familiar with the company" say that Circuit City is contemplating closing at least 150 stores and making the associated high number of job cuts in order to get itself in a better position to shore up some much needed financing, which it has been unable to secure so far.

To put things in a bit of perspective, before it packed up and went home, Blockbuster offered to buy Circuit City in February of this year for $6 to $8 a share. The company's share value as of this writing? 40 cents.

[Via MarketWatch]

Ecobee Debuts Wi-Fi-Connected Smart Thermostat

by Donald Melanson, posted Oct 16th 2008 at 8:50AM


Sure, you can outfit your whole home with ZigBee-connected home automation devices, but if you're not quite ready to take that plunge in the future, you may want to consider something like Ecobee's new Smart Thermostat, which will give you a taste of home automation and help you save a few bucks in the process. As with some other similar thermostats, this one relies on Wi-Fi to connect to your home network, which should ease installation considerably, and it even includes some optional ZigBee expansion slots in case you do want to integrate it into a more complete home automation setup.

At $385 though, the device isn't exactly cheap, but the company says it'll pay for itself in energy cost savings within the first 12 to 18 months. You'll be able to put that claim to the test yourself when the device starts shipping early next year.

'Smart' Rear-View Mirror Equipped With GPS

by Donald Melanson, posted Oct 12th 2008 at 11:12AM


Azentek apparently managed to get a few of its SmartMirror rearview mirror replacements out the door back in August, but that brief spat of availability promptly gave way to back orders and waiting lists, and no doubt a few disappointed customers. According to the company, however, it's now not only ramping up production of the GPS-packing mirrors, but promising that they'll be available at "major retailers" by the end of the year as well. In case you missed it the first time around, the $800 device crams a 4-inch GPS unit up alongside an apparently standard-sized rearview mirror, and it surprisingly doesn't skimp on too many features, with it boasting handsfree Bluetooth calling, a built-in speaker, text-to-speech functionality, and an SD card slot for expansion (a 2GB card is included). For some true redundancy, you can also use the mirror as a monitor for a rearview camera. [Via TWICE]

$60,000 Diamond-Encrusted iPod Earbud Covers

by Donald Melanson, posted Oct 11th 2008 at 4:43PM


Yes, you read that right, covers. As in, $60,000 of diamonds that clip onto a standard issue pair of iPod earphones. If the economic hard times are really hitting you hard, you can also opt for a $4,500 set encrusted with black or white diamonds, or even a set covered with the ever-popular multi-colored Swarovski crystals -- a veritable bargain at just $110. [Via musicradar.com]

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